Rapid City hotel blames glitch for refusing to rent rooms to Native American family

Grand Gateway named in another discrimination lawsuit

A Rapid City hotel that has been accused of discriminating against Native Americans is the subject of another lawsuit, this one involving an incident from August.

But the Grand Gateway Hotel is blaming the latest accusation on a “technical failure” in its reservation system and denying that its employee discriminated against a family because the father is Native American.

Jessica and Ryan White drove from their home in Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin, to Rapid City on Aug. 13. The family booked three rooms at the hotel, and the party included Ryan White’s three children and his mother and aunt. The rooms were booked through Travelocity.

When they arrived at Grand Gateway at 10 p.m., Jessica White, who is not Native American, went inside to get their rooms while Ryan White, who is Native American, parked their car. Their complaint says that the check-in process started but then abruptly stopped when Ryan White walked in the lobby. The employee told the Whites that there were no rooms reserved for them.

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